Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Crazy as it sounds, we actually put an offer in on the first house we went to see. It was pretty much everything we were looking for. It was a two family, but with the feel of a single family. It was built in 1900 and had front porches and character.

I could see us living there, and it would have been a smart investment for the future. But clearly, since we are still on the prowl for a house, it didn't work out. There was a cash offer from an investor, and they took that instead of our offer. *sigh*

So it's back in the saddle again. I just got home from a showing with our buyers agent, who also happens to be my brother in law. Since Mr. Kate Moriah is worked to the bone at UPS, he is not available for showings (or for anything) during the week, so brother in law/realtor Adam and I went without him.

The listing describes the house we went to see today as a "diamond in the rough." They weren't lying. It has AMAZING potential, but needs so much work. I am left with more questions than answers. How much house is too much house (2500 square feet)? How much of a nightmare is all of this work going to be?

And most importantly... do I really want to knowingly purchase a home with a collapsed pool which is home to "several frogs, a snapping turtle, & garter snakes"?????

Ikea insanity. I think that says it all. Here is my haul from yesterday's Ikea trip:

After a couple of hours of putting together the table and the red storage unit, here is my office nook so far:

It's a work in progress, I still need to paint the shelves I bought white, hang those up and finish accessorizing.

It is unfortunate that my husband doesn't share my "artistic vision." He hates everything about the whole office nook. He thinks the lamp and the chair don't "match." Technically, he's right. But it's supposed to be a mix of modern and old. I hope when he sees the finished product, he starts to trust my artistic vision a little more!

Next project - Paint, hang and accessorize shelves and sew pillows for the couch.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

As a little girl, going shopping with my mom at Jordan Marsh was a magical experience. Rows upon rows of beautiful clothes, islands of cosmetics, perfume and jewelry, the glamorous shoppers. Oh yeah, it was a dream world to me.

The best part was sitting in the cafe for Jordan Marsh muffins. Little 7 year old Kate felt so adult sitting in the metal chairs, sharing the muffin experience with all the glamorous shoppers. In fact, I felt a little bit like a glamorous shopper myself.

Like any true New Englander, I mourned a little bit when Jordan Marsh went out of business, and then when the cafe closed its doors.

As an adult, making Jordan Marsh muffins is a delicious treat, and a charming trip down memory lane. To me, they taste like the magic of childhood.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I got this recipe off the Internet years ago. I don't know where exactly I got it from.

Monday, February 20, 2012

After an embarrassing number of hours spent searching online for a desk, finally, my decision. The Ikea Melltorp table.

I've been craving a desk/work space for a while now. We in the market to buy our own house, and we are planning to get some new furniture then. But at the rate it's going, I think it might be a while. So, I might as well enjoy the rest of our time here and make the space as usable and as visually pleasing as I can.

We don't have a lot of space in our rental 1/2 duplex. Currently, I do my work on the kitchen table. It usually looks like a mess because there are papers, office supplies, the printer, and other work related debris spread all over it. It's not the best way to work, and it's not what the kitchen table is meant for.

We have this chair that is part of the living room set that I hate. I've been trying to convince Jason that we need to get rid of this chair for months.

He still isn't on board, but I'm getting rid of the chair and I'm going to make that area my desk nook. I can't wait to finally get rid of the ugly and have a workspace of my own!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

I have to admit I was warned. I was told, "watch out, it's soooo addictive." How bad can it be? I thought. I know a lot of people who are addicted to facebook, and I'm not, so I thought I would be immune to pinterest's addictive nature.

I was wrong.

Have any of you ever read the Percy Jackson books? In one of the books the kids go into this casino-like fun house. They have a great time, then they realize something is seriously wrong with the place. It felt like they were there for a few hours, but they were there for weeks.

That is how I feel about pinterest. When I get home from work, I check my facebook, browse my favorite home decorating sites and blogs, and add pins and browse pinterest. Before I know it, hours have gone by and it's dinner time. How does this happen???? Why is it so addictive????

Pinterest brings out the middle school girl in all of us. I mean, who doesn't like to have followers? Everytime someone new starts following my pins, I get a little thrill, people are interested in things I like. It's instant validation.

But even though it sucks me in and refuses to spit me out, I am learning a lot from it. One of my boards is called "Why can't I figure out my home decorating style?" But, with Pinterest's help, I actually am starting to define my style.

If you aren't on pinterest yet, it's time. You need an invitation to join, so if you comment on this post and include your email, I'll send you one.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

I've been coveting subway sign art for months now, ever since I started seeing pictures like this during my daily Internet design drooling sessions:

And this:

But with prices like the ones above at $650, all I could do was covet and drool and dream. But then I remembered, hey, I can be an ARTIST too and so began the first baby step on my journey from crafty to artist.

The man at home depot cutting the mdf for my latest project asked me. "Well... no. I guess I'm just crafty," was my response.

It wasn't until I got home that I realized how badly I want to be able to say yes to that question. How do I go from being "just crafty" to being creative? What does it take to be able to say with confidence, that yes, I am a creative creator of art?

I live for goals. Goalless, I feel lost and like I'm floating through life like an untethered balloon. Tackling the journey from crafty to creative, from craft to art is a challenge I am ready to take on.